The present invention relates to cleaning of magnetic read heads and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for cleaning a magnetic read head in an electronic card reader such as that used in hotel electronic door locks.
Plastic cards with magnetic strips for recording data are well known. For example, credit cards, ATM cards, identification cards, data storage cards, i.e., "smart" cards, all include a magnetic strip with selected encoded information. The encoded information can be "read" from the card by a magnetic read head by passing the magnetic strip over the read head. Various types of card readers with such read heads are known in the art. One use of an identification card with magnetic strip is to unlock an electronic lock such as may be used on hotel/motel room doors. The use of such electronic locks is particularly advantageous since such use enables the hotel/motel operator to change unlock codes for each new guest and avoid the theft problem previously associated with fixed key locks. However, maintenance of such card readers requires frequent cleaning of the magnetic read head which is recessed within the lock. Such cleaning is difficult since the typical electronic door lock requires insertion of the key card into a receiving slot rather than a "swiping" slot of the type used in credit card point of purchase devices.
One known method of cleaning magnetic read heads in electronic key locks uses a key card with a strip of solvent absorbing material bonded to the card in place of the magnetic strip. The material is believed to be a fibrous, short nap, synthetic. The cards are packaged in a sealed pouch with one card per pouch and are useable only for cleaning a single lock before discarding. In a hotel environment, the cost of purchasing a separate card for each cleaning of each lock can be a significant portion of the hotel maintenance budget, notwithstanding the time involved in opening each sealed pouch and the requirement of using the card quickly before the solvent evaporates. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide an electronic lock read head cleaning apparatus which is re-useable and can be used to clean multiple locks.